Jocotepec to Melaque

Our friend's Ram truck, on Saturday afternoon, starting hissing under the dash, unless you turned the steering wheel, or applied the brakes, whereupon the noise quit.  A quick google found:  where the manufacture of the brake booster hose required a teflon liner.  The liner gets separated, and the pressure moves the internal teflon piece into the brake booster, creating the noise.  The fix is to remove the line, pull the teflon internal piece out, re-attache the hose, and fill the power steering reservoir and bleed the line.  On our way to supper last night, we stopped at the Pemex and bought some líquido de dirección asistida (power steering fluid).  My thought was to have it on hand, and if there were problems, to try the fix (our friends are well stocked in the tool department).  By the time we got up this morning, however she had completed the fix, and the Ram was hiss-less.  Andele.

Narrow road out of Roca Azul

We fueled up at the Jocotepec Pemex, and were on the road to Melaque by 8:30 am.  After 20 Km. travel NW, we joined 54 south, which immediately became a cuota (54D) and away we went, with excellent four lane divided highway.  The scenery was spectacular.

Large shallow lakes

As we neared Cuidad Guzman, we could see the famous Colima volcano.  We felt safe, since it hadn't erupted since March.  Entertaining highway signs suggested, "In case of eruption, use your headlights", and "In case of eruption, slow down".  Local hazards are all in what you get used to, I suppose.  The Cuidad Guzman area had wonderful vegetation and agriculture, volcanic ash being quite fertile, and looked like a great place to live, most of the time.

Hundreds of waterbirds - Shovelers, Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, etc

Driving for miles with water on both sides and volcano in distance

Hmm, they had a Hippo, Rhino and this guy miles apart along the hwy

Dos Volcanoes

The Lake Chapala area is at 5,000 feet of elevation, and from the roughly 100 Km. from Cuidad Guzman area to the coast, we coasted down to sea level.

Coasting down into the land of palm trees

Pacific

Outskirts of Manzanillo

Sites back onto the beach 

When we arrived at Melaque, the temperature was 32 C, and very humid, a far cry from the dry 12C morning we left in Roca Azul.  As you are advised every time prior to hooking up to Mexican RV power, we checked and found good power on only our second try, plugged into glorious 30 amp power (a rarity) and enjoyed the Brave's dual air conditioners.  Our route through Melaque to Bungalow Laguna Del Tule was pretty sketchy, including a severe no-shit 12 foot dip coming off the highway onto the main avenida, and the usual road construction, large gravel potholes, and lush, low, low hanging vegetation.  (Tonight we talked to americans who had macheted their way out through the overhanging vegetation exiting Roca Azul).  Just more adventure.
Bungalows Laguna Del Tule RV Park is a gorgeous spot, a palm tree covered sand spit, with the ocean on one side, and the freshwater laguna on the other.  We're here for a week.

324 Km.